A flexible metallic TiC nanofiber/vertical graphene 1D/2D heterostructured as active electrocatalyst for advanced Li–S batteries
Yongshang Zhang,
Peng Zhang,
Shijie Zhang,
Zheng Wang,
Neng Li,
S. Ravi P. Silva,
Guosheng Shao
Affiliations
Yongshang Zhang
State Center for International Cooperation on Designer Low‐Carbon & Environmental Materials (CDLCEM), School of Materials Science and Engineering Zhengzhou University Zhengzhou China
Peng Zhang
State Center for International Cooperation on Designer Low‐Carbon & Environmental Materials (CDLCEM), School of Materials Science and Engineering Zhengzhou University Zhengzhou China
Shijie Zhang
State Center for International Cooperation on Designer Low‐Carbon & Environmental Materials (CDLCEM), School of Materials Science and Engineering Zhengzhou University Zhengzhou China
Zheng Wang
State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architecture Wuhan University of Technology Wuhan China
Neng Li
State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architecture Wuhan University of Technology Wuhan China
S. Ravi P. Silva
State Center for International Cooperation on Designer Low‐Carbon & Environmental Materials (CDLCEM), School of Materials Science and Engineering Zhengzhou University Zhengzhou China
Guosheng Shao
State Center for International Cooperation on Designer Low‐Carbon & Environmental Materials (CDLCEM), School of Materials Science and Engineering Zhengzhou University Zhengzhou China
Abstract The realistic application of lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries has been severely hindered by the sluggish conversion kinetics of polysulfides (LiPS) and inhomogeneous deposition of Li2S at high sulfur loading and low electrolyte/sulfur ratio (E/S). Herein, a flexible Li–S battery architecture based on electrocatalyzed cathodes made of interfacial engineered TiC nanofibers and in situ grown vertical graphene are developed. Integrated 1D/2D heterostructured electrocatalysts are realized to enable highly improved Li+ and electron transportation together with significantly enhanced affinity to LiPS, which effectively accelerate the conversion kinetics between sulfur species, and thus induce homogeneous deposition of Li2S in the catalyzed cathodes. Consequently, highly active electro‐electrocatalysts‐based cells exhibit remarkable rate capability at 2C with a high specific capacity of 971 mAh g−1. Even at ultra‐high sulfur loading and low E/S ratio, the battery still delivers a high areal capacity of 9.1 mAh cm−2, with a flexible pouch cell being demonstrated to power a LED array at different bending angles with a high capacity over 100 cycles. This work puts forward a novel pathway for the rational design of effective nanofiber electrocatalysts for cathodes of high‐performance Li–S batteries.
